Guia completo de limpeza de primavera (checklist cômodo a cômodo)

Start with the cold. The freezer needs at least four hours to defrost — set it going first thing in the morning so it's ready by the time you reach it. Empty fridge and freezer, take out the shelves and drawers, wash them in warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda per litre, rinse and dry before refitting. Wipe the interior with a cloth dampened in water and 5% vinegar, which disinfects without leaving odours. The door seals are the part that ages first: a wipe with 5% citric acid restores their flexibility.

For the oven, make a paste of three tablespoons of baking soda and 50 ml of water, spread it on the interior (never on the heating elements), let it sit thirty minutes and remove with a damp cloth. Hood filters go in the dishwasher at 60 °C, or soak in boiling water with baking soda for half an hour; if the hood still pushes odour, the carbon filter needs replacing.

The tap is the kitchen's most visible point and the one most often neglected. Unscrew the aerator (the mesh under the spout), soak it fifteen minutes in 10% citric acid solution — 100 g per litre — and refit: the flow returns to new. The same solution, on a cloth, dissolves limescale from the sink and from a stainless or quartz composite worktop.

Natural stone is the exception. Marble, granite and calcite-based terrazzos react to any acid with an irreversible matte etch, so on those surfaces stick to mild soap and stay clear of vinegar and citric acid. The full guide is at Natural marble and terrazzo cleaning.

Cabinets and pantry get done one at a time: empty, check expiry dates, bin the old, wipe the interior with cloth and mild soap. Exterior doors get the same cloth but need drying immediately — wood swells if it stays damp.

For the WC, a cleaner at 5% lactic acid or 10% citric acid goes under the rim, sits for fifteen minutes, then gets rinsed. You don't need more product, you need contact time. The shower gets 10% citric acid sprayed on the enclosure, half an hour of dwell, rinsed with the hand shower. For the showerhead, the best procedure is a one-hour soak in solution — limescale dissolves and full flow returns.

On dark or coloured silicone, avoid pure bleach: it dries the joint and makes it crack. For dark mould stains, use a toothbrush with baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide, which whitens without attacking. Mould on the bathroom ceiling means tackling the root problem (ventilation and humidity), covered in detail at Removing bathroom mould naturally.

Mirrors get water and a tablespoon of vinegar, dried with microfibre in one direction (never circles, they leave streaks). Floor grout is recovered with a toothbrush, baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide — ten minutes of dwell before rinsing — and the white returns without resorting to bleach.

The washing machine deserves a dedicated treatment that won't fit into half an hour of work. See our full washing-machine disinfection guide, with the monthly routine and the spring deep-clean.

Strip the sofa cushion covers and machine-wash them at 30–40 °C per the label. Vacuum the body of the sofa with a small upholstery nozzle, working into the seams and under the cushions where crumbs, fur and dust accumulate. To sanitise, spray water and baking soda (one tablespoon to half a litre), let it sit twenty minutes and vacuum again: baking soda neutralises odours without an aggressive perfume note.

Curtains go in the machine at 30 °C on a delicate cycle, or to the dry cleaner if they're heavy or lined. Take the chance to wash the valances and the decorative cushion covers as well — the ones that move from sofa to armchair and almost never see a wash.

A mattress can't go in the washing machine, but a monthly procedure keeps it light: vacuum with the upholstery nozzle, sprinkle 200–300 g of baking soda evenly, leave thirty minutes and vacuum again thoroughly. For bedrooms where someone has a documented allergy the frequency drops to fortnightly, and the rationale plus the extended procedure is in Cleaning a home for dust-mite allergy. Pillows go in the wash at 60 °C every two-to-three months: the aha! Swiss Allergy Centre recommends that threshold because dust mites survive the cycle below it.

For wardrobes: take everything out, decide what goes back and what gets donated, wipe the interior with cloth and mild soap. Natural moth sachets (lavender, cedar) are effective for six to eight weeks, then the fragrance fades and they need replacing.